Chicken poop is mucosy

QuestionChicken poop is mucosy: My chicks are about 5 weeks old and I keep seeing poo in the cage that is mucousy and brown today it was white and a little green.

I am not sure which chicken this is coming from. They are in a hutch right now with a heat lamp I keep their cage clean and offer fresh food and water daily.

I raise them in the back yard but like I said they are still in the hutch they haven't roamed around the yard yet.

Is this poop normal? They seem in good health not sick acting or anything.

AnswerIt’s a good idea to monitor droppings from your chickens and chicks. Something is wrong if the droppings are as you described.

It could be too much of a bacteria in their system or in response to their food or water. You might try putting 1 tbsp of raw apple cider vinegar in each cup of their water for a few days.

This can help balance their digestion. Giving some grated apple and chopped leafy lettuces may help normalize digestion.

Giving a probiotic or some live culture yogurt, about 1 tbsp per chick for a few days may encourage good digestion with more good digestive bacteria.

You may need to put them on a medicated chick feed, if the condition doesn’t clear up through nutritional means.

It’s not a bad idea to get a sample of their droppings to a vet for testing to see if there is some specific problem, possibly coccidiosis (which might be helped nutritionally) or internal parasites, which would require treatment.

My Baby Chick has Dark Brown Poop....

by Jen
(Texas)

Question:My Baby Chick has Dark Brown Poop....: I've noticed my baby chick has had dark brown poop but it's not all the time it's just certain times through out the day. He also has been itching, he will scratch and pluck some feathers out but I've checked for bugs and fleas and I see nothing. Should I be worried????

Answer:You don’t need to worry, but you might want to get him on a medicated chick feed for a few weeks.

The dark brown poop can be from bacterial irritation in his digestive system, especially if he has diarrhea.

Offering probiotics or live culture yogurt may help restore his digestive system to better balance.

The itching could be an allergic reaction to something in his diet. It wouldn’t hurt to give him a warm bath and treat with a mite treatment that is safe for a young chick.

Some mites live under the skin and are so small you may not see them. Pulling out feathers makes mites seem likely as some burrow into the feather follicle tissues and cause much irritation.

It’s not unusual for chickens to pull feathers when they are growing new ones. Dry skin can make it difficult for the new feathers to break through the skin.

Chicken Poop Runny

I have 22 Marans chicks 3 weeks old. Some of them, maybe 2 or more have rust colored runny poop. Is there anything wrong and if so, what do I need to do? Thank you.

AnswerThis could be a sign of intestinal disease. The rust color could be some blood stemming from intestinal irritation.

Before medicating I would suggest offering the group probiotics or a live culture yogurt for a few days and on a weekly basis.

In a brooder they aren’t exposed to much that would naturally aid digestion, like greens, that can provide some enzymes.

A little fresh fruit, like apple (without the seeds) could help, but the good bacteria in yogurt or a probiotic supplement is important to give a healthy digestive start.

Coccidiosis is a possibility and can quickly spread through feces. There are treatments for this that can be added to water.

Keep the brooder clean and dry as possible.

I would also recommend that you not feed them a “medicated” chick start all the time.

Antibiotic laced chick starts can help if certain diseases are present, but they are highly likely to kill off good digestive bacteria which can prevent important nutrients from breaking down and being absorbed.

Killing off good bacteria can cause an imbalance in digestion and result in diarrhea and failure to thrive.

Antibiotics fed unnecessarily can cause an over abundance of resistant bacteria that can become dangerous to their health.